50% of eCommerce website problems unidentified

50% of eCommerce website problems are undetected by major UK and US brands due to lack of visibility of the customer experience, according to research launched today by User Replay.

 Key retail stats:

·         90% of retailers admit they could improve their Online Customer Experience via desktops; 84% say the same for mobile

·         Only 19% of retailers are able to fully and accurately quantify the revenue they are losing as a result of non-optimal website performance

 Report findings:

·         Two thirds think a lack of investment in online customer experience is impacting revenue and growth

·         Sub-optimal customer experience caused by this lack of visibility is seen to result in reduced online conversion rates (43%), reputational damage (38%), preventing repeat business (30%) and eroding online revenue potential (28%).

·         62% believe they could increase their sales if their website was running optimally and more effectively

·         Not knowing the full truth about online customer experience has further consequences within the organisation. 90% say it makes planning and decision-making around online marketing activity more difficult, 80% say it makes it harder to justify budget for website design, 76% find it more challenging to prioritise what to address first on the website and 76% struggle to report on website performance

50% of eCommerce website problems unidentified

UK and US eCommerce businesses struggling with customer journey visibility

 21^st October, 2015, Reading, UK, San Francisco, CA – 85% of eCommerce businesses are failing to understand why customers may be struggling with their website and missing conversion opportunities. On average, only half of the difficulties experienced once the customer is on site can be identified, according to research launched by User Replay.

 Businesses have been focused on driving customers to their website and maximising the visitor funnel but only a third describe their understanding of the customer journey and purchase process as excellent.

 The Online Customer Experience – Counting the Cost of Not Knowing is a research study commissioned by User Replay, the digital customer experience management experts, of over 200 heads of eCommerce in the UK and US spanning retail, travel and finance industries.

 Customer experience has become a key differentiator for businesses. However, nearly two thirds think a lack of investment in online customer experience is impacting revenue and growth. The implications of this are being felt far and wide affecting immediate business opportunities such as conversion rates, reputation and repeat business opportunities and longer term business growth such as planning and decision-making and budget justification.

 Consumers are increasingly using mobile devices to access eCommerce sites and this is regarded as the most significant contributor to the limited visibility of the customer experience for 40% of those surveyed, followed by a lack of technology to quantify and prioritize online customer issues (33%).

 The good news is that businesses are looking to address this lack of visibility – 76% plan to increase investment in online channels over the next 12 months. The result of this investment, if focused specifically on customer experience, could be significant as 62% feel they could increase sales if their website was running optimally and more effectively.

 At the top of the wish list are solutions that provide quantitative data to help prioritize what to fix first (97%), qualitative data that provides details around the user experience (95%), easy to understand reports on website issues (93%) and assurances that websites are meeting compliance requirements (93%).

 John Thompson, CEO, User Replay, comments: “Customer experience is rapidly becoming an area of strategic importance for eCommerce businesses. While many are now excelling in driving visitors to their online channels, this effort can prove fruitless if the business has limited visibility of the customer experience through to purchase. Any issue can have a significant impact on conversion rates. Businesses therefore need the flexibility and agility to identify these issues, however big or small, and resolve them quickly.”

If you would more insight into consumer behaviour and your target market, contact Martina Mercer, a digital marketer who focuses on the psychology of the customer to drive better brand loyalty and relationships.